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He hasnt been in the starting lineup since removing

NASHVILLE -- Facing an early deficit, Nashville turned the game around with its power play. Patric Hornqvist scored with the man-advantage at 13:56 of the third period to lift the Predators to a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night. Matt Cullen and Roman Josi also scored power-play goals to help Nashville snap a three-game losing streak. The three man-advantage goals were a season high for the Predators. Nashville entered Thursday with the NHLs seventh-best power play. "The power play was really huge, but our 5-on-5 play was strong," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. "We gave up seven shots in the last two periods and that includes a couple of power plays that they had." Martin St. Louis had both goals for the Lightning, losers of three of their last four. With time winding down in the final period, Hornqvist collected the rebound of Mike Fishers shot and slipped it by Tampa Bay goaltender Ben Bishop. "It hit the heel of my stick, and then I dont know if I got a whack on it on the rebound, too," Hornqvist said. "Its nice to see that it finally went in. Thats how I have to play every single night to be effective." St. Louis opened the scoring at 5:26 of the first period. Ondrej Palat carried the puck from the left boards into the slot, where he sent a backhand off the left post. St. Louis was parked in front of the Nashville goal to tap home the rebound. Less than four minutes later, St. Louis struck again. With the Lightning on a power play, St. Louis wrist shot from the right faceoff dot hit Nashville goaltender Carter Hutton in the chest, fell to the ice, and trickled across the goal line. Hutton is 7-2-2 in his last 11 games. Since scoring a career-best four times in Tampa Bays Jan. 18 game against San Jose, St. Louis had not scored a goal, a stretch of nine games. He also was pointless in five games for Team Canada in their gold medal-winning performance at the Sochi Olympic Games. "Our 5-on-5 play was horrendous," St. Louis said. "Our battle level was very low. Youve got to grind it out in this league, and we didnt do that." After getting nine shots on goal in the first, Tampa Bay managed just four in the second and three in the third. "It was disgracefully embarrassing, thats what that game was," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "Two periods, really, really disappointed. Seven shots in the last two periods?" Cullen struck at 12:05 of the second. Ryan Ellis skated the puck into the right circle, where he faked a shot and found Cullen at the back door for an easy tap-in. Josi tied the game 1:11 later on another power-play goal when the Swiss Olympian ripped a slap shot from the left faceoff dot over Bishops left shoulder. "The first period, we didnt manage the puck that well," Josi said. "We actually didnt play a bad period in the first, but they got up 2-0. After that, we just worked their defence and our forwards did a great job down low." NOTES: Palat has points in three-straight games. ... Cullen had not scored a goal since Nov. 27, breaking a stretch of 29 games without a goal. ... Nashville is 7-21-5 when its opponents score first. . The game was the first of five consecutive home games for Nashville coming out of the Olympic break. http://www.sportingkansascitymlsshop.co … nk-Jersey/ .Y. -- The Montreal Canadiens have had few reasons to celebrate this season as they have been mired near the basement of the Eastern Conference. http://www.sportingkansascitymlsshop.co … za-Jersey/ . The move will give Hentgen the "time needed to support his family and his fathers current health issues," the Blue Jays said in a release. Hentgen spent 10 of his 14 big-league seasons with the Blue Jays, winning a Cy Young Award in 1996. http://www.sportingkansascitymlsshop.co … ra-Jersey/ . Ribery terrorized the Schalke defence throughout and put the home side ahead in the 36th minute when he chipped the goalkeeper before stroking the ball into the empty net. The French winger struck again after the interval, combining with Thomas Mueller on the left before firing a deflected shot beyond the helpless Timo Hildebrand in the 55th, as Bayern bounced back from Wednesdays 1-0 loss at FC Basel in the Champions League. http://www.sportingkansascitymlsshop.co … am-Jersey/ . Now, the hottest team on the ATP are pointing their sights on qualifying for the eight-team season finals in London next November. Pospisil has now established the year-end World Tour Finals as the benchmark for a breakthrough season, with Pospisil and Sock provisionally standing ninth. http://www.sportingkansascitymlsshop.co … ey-Jersey/ . Goins is the early favourite to win the starting job at second base. Pillar is an outsider to secure a role off the bench, which becomes an even more difficult spot to win if the number of back up jobs is reduced by one. That happens if the Blue Jays decide to start the season with an eight man bullpen.TORONTO – Jose Bautista is nearing a return to the Blue Jays lineup and pinch hit in the sixth inning of Sundays series finale against the White Sox. Batting for Dioner Navarro with runners on the corners and the Jays down 2-0 at the time, Bautista grounded out to end the inning. Fans who arrived to watch batting practice were treated to Bautistas first public testing of his injured left hamstring. He was running sprints in the outfield; he estimated at about 50 to 60-percent effort and admitted to feeling some pain, which he said he expected. Bautista will work out on Mondays off day and is hopeful of being in the starting lineup on Tuesday when the Jays play a Canada Day matinee against the Brewers. He hasnt been in the starting lineup since removing himself in the third inning of the June 22 loss in Cincinnati. "You know, its huge," said Bautista of avoiding the disabled list. Then he offered a precautionary thought: "Obviously thats still not in the plans but you never know how things are going to respond," said Bautista. "I just want to make it clear that I can get back into playing and because theres a previous injury there anything can happen. Im not trying to jinx it or anything but thats just reality." Bautista has been hitting in the underneath batting cage. "I feel like hitting is much easier right now than running," he said. While its superfluous to suggest the Blue Jays miss Bautista when hes not in the lineup the matter became more pronounced as the club faced three Chicago lefthanders over the wweekend.dddddddddddd After two home games versus Milwaukee, against right-handed starters, the Jays kick off their next road trip with four games in Oakland. The As will throw three left-handers at the Blue Jays in that series. Bautistas done serious damage to southpaws this year. Seven of his 15 home runs have been hit off of lefties. Hes accomplished that in only 57 at-bats. His on-base plus slugging percentage sits at an otherworldly 1.329. Combine Bautistas absence with the predominantly right-handed lineup manager John Gibbons has played this weekend, featuring Triple-A call ups Brad Glenn and Darin Mastroianni, and offence has been in relatively short supply. Left-handed hitters Adam Lind and Colby Rasmus, when theyve played, have struggled as the numbers would suggest they would. Bautista isnt committing to whether hell be Tuesdays designated hitter or take his usual spot in right field. "If I come in and feel 100-percent and great and go out on the field and play defence and I could not feel 100-percent and ask to DH instead of playing the field," said Bautista. "It all depends on how I feel on Tuesday and I wont know that until Tuesday." If Bautistas hamstring limits him to the designated hitters role, that likely removes Adam Lind from the Canada Day starting lineup. Against a right-handed starting pitcher, thats less than ideal. Should Bautista declare himself fit to play right field, Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Lind would both play, one as the designated hitter and the other at first base. Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '